Keepers Guang to China to get to know zoo's new pandas

In what has been described as a "milestone move", director of animals Iain Valentine and a small team have headed to the Bifengxia panda base, near the city of Ya'an, to take the next steps in bringing the panda pair to the Capital.

Although a final date is not likely to be decided on the trip, it is believed that the pandas will arrive at Edinburgh Zoo around September.

Meanwhile, bosses are finalising the design of the plush panda enclosure, which is being created from the old gorilla pen.

Mr Valentine is joined on the trip by Darren McGarry, animal collection manager, and Alison Maclean, one of Edinburgh Zoo's team leaders. The trio will spend a week in China, gathering vital information on the pair of giant pandas and completing the research plan the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will be undertaking while Tian Tian and Yang Guang are in the UK.

They will meet the pandas for the first time on Thursday.

Mr Valentine said: "This is the first big milestone in the project since the agreement was announcement and we are very excited to be making this significant step forward.

"During our visit, we will be working very closely with the team in Ya'an to finalise the details of the research plan that aims to better our understanding of this delicate species and unlock another piece of the complex panda puzzle.

"There is still a long way to go in the world's conservation efforts and research such as this is vital if we are to ensure the survival of the giant panda."

The team will take some measurements, including the current weight and size of the pandas, to make sure the new enclosure is suitable. In the coming months, a small team from the zoo will visit China to receive crucial panda training.

Mr Valentine added: "Members of the Edinburgh Zoo team will also be gaining essential hands-on experience whilst at the panda base. The expertise of the local team is based on decades of caring for giant pandas and their guidance will prove invaluable as we prepare Edinburgh Zoo and its team for the arrival of Tian Tian and Yang Guang later this year."

Around 200,000 worth of renovations are set to begin next month so that the old gorilla pen can be transformed into a panda paradise.

The enclosure will be double the size of the old pen, with high climbing frames and mature trees to make sure conditions mirror their original setting in their homeland.

Six-year-old Tian Tian and Yuang Guang - the first pandas to reside in the UK for 17 years - could boost visitor numbers to the attraction dramatically, with zoo bosses estimating that numbers could double to more than a million.

Edinburgh Zoo will become one of only a handful of attractions in the western hemisphere to care for giant pandas.